Most written material about AEFs focuses on
noose-based autoerotic asphyxiation. However, many deaths are
actually due to complications arising from physical restraint
(self-bondage).

Any person who engages in solo physical
restraint should be fully aware of the risks involved.

If a person decides to engage in self-bondage
in spite of the risks, they should prepare a current legal will, in case
of accidental death.

REPORTED AEF CASES
INVOLVING SELF-BONDAGE

Some restraint materials
can be dangerous
Date: 1931
Age: 37
Gender: M
Cause of death: Bled to death
Shop assistant found dead in his bed. Lying under the covers,
gagged with handkerchiefs, head tightly wrapped in a towel. Legs tied with towels,
hands tied up behind his back. He was
clutching a nail-scissors in his left hand to free himself, but the
arteries were cut up by the tight laces around the wrists, and he bled
to death.
Source: Schackwitz

Bound hands prevent control of personal
safety
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression/asphyxiationYale graduate constructed an airtight
vinyl bag that he zippered himself into. He bound his hands behind his
back with a short length of chain. Penis was wrapped with a
saran-wrap/ rubber-band condom. Found dead of asphyxiation.Source: Sean
Gabb

Having a knife doesn't always mean
escape
Gender: M
Location: New Orleans
Cause of death: Asphyxiation
Victim enclosed his body into plastic with an airway out of his
"cocoon" in the form of a snorkel tube. He was engaged in
masturbation when he apparently lost his mouth piece or airway. He
attempted to use a knife to cut himself out, but did not succeed in
time.
Source: Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1985 Jun;6(2)151-2. "Wrapped to
death. Unusual autoerotic death." Minyard F.

Even without bondage, a gag's effects can
sneak up on you
Gender: F
Age: 30
Cause of death: Choked on gagFound dead in her locked apartment. Nude and lying supine
on a blanket on the bedroom floor. A pillow beneath her buttocks
elevated them. (Many women use pillows as masturbation tools.)
Legs were slightly spread, arms by her
sides. Blouse lodged in her mouth and covered her face. Next to body was a dental plate belonging to the victim. Near
left
foot: empty beer can, an ashtray, and a drinking glass. Neither
the body nor the scene exhibited signs of a struggle. Victim's
clothes and purse containing her keys were on bed. Vibrator
and leather bondage materials were found in her closet. Door was
locked with a spring bolt. The autopsy report indicated that she had
choked to death.
Source: Hazelwood, Burgess, and Dietz

Elaborate scenarios lead to unanticipated
complications
Date: 1973
Age: 40
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression/asphyxiation
Airplane pilot drove his Volkswagen to a secluded, roughly circular,
flat clearing, He removed his clothes and put on a self-manufactured
harness, which connected him via a ten-foot length of chain to the car's
rear bumper. He tied a belt to the steering wheel and strapped it
down so that the wheel was completely counter-clockwise. He
started the engine and placed it in first gear, so that the car circled
the clearing slowly with him being led walking behind. He had performed
this ritual previously. On this final occasion, however, when he
approached the car to end the scene, the chain began winding around the
left rear axle; he was pulled in toward the left wheel area, and died of compression against the car.
Source: J.C. Rupp, "The Love Bug," Journal of Forensic
Sciences, vol. 18, 1973. pp. 259-262.

"Escape mechanisms" can
fail
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression/asphyxiation
Victim was in a garbage can. He'd intended to use a roll of chicken
wire as an escape mechanism. The mechanism failed and the man died of
compression. (In chest compression, the movement of the ribcage is
restricted or the diaphragm movement is cut off.)
Source: R.R. Hazelwood, et al., Autoerotic Fatalities, Lexington Books,
1983, Lexington, MA.

Automated suspension with unexpected
error
Age: 62
Gender: M
Cause of death: Compression/asphyxiation
Found dead in his barn, pinned under the hydraulic front scoop of a John
Deere tractor. A neighbor found him lying prone on the
ground with the scoop of the tractor on his back. The tractor engine was
no longer running, but the ignition was still in the on position.
Victim nude except for a pair of red women's shoes with eight-inch heels
and knee-high nylons. Duct tape was wrapped around ankles. Ankles were bound to a four-foot-long segment of pipe such
that legs were spread. A yoke was attached to the center of the
pipe, which was attached to the front loader bucket by a chain. Two
ropes led from the victim to the tractor's control lever for raising and
tilting the bucket. Fully raising the hydraulic bucket would have caused
complete suspension of his inverted body by the ankles. He died
when accidentally pinned to the ground under the shovel after
intentionally suspending himself.
Source: J Forensic Sci 1993 Mar;38(2)359-64. "Autoerotic fatalities
with power hydraulics." O'Halloran RL, Dietz PE. Ventura County
Medical Examiner Office, CA.

Scenarios and activities become more
elaborate over time - more experience leads to greater danger of
death, not less dangerGender: M
Age: 26
Victim died while suspended by leather wrist restraints from a hook in
the ceiling. Was wearing a commercially produced
'discipline mask' and a had a bit in his mouth. A length of rope was
attached to each end of the bit and ran over his shoulders, going
through an eyelet at the back of a specially designed belt he was
wearing. The pieces of rope ran to eyelets on both sides of his body
and were connected to wooden dowels that extended the length of his
legs. The ropes were attached to two plastic water bottles, one on each
ankle. The bottles were filled with water and each weighed 7 pounds. The
victim's ankles had leather restraints about them. A clothespin was
affixed to each of the victim's nipples. The victim's belt had a leather
device that ran between his buttocks and was attached to the rear in
front of his belt. This belt device included a dildo that was inserted
in his anus and an aperture through which his penis protruded. His penis
was encased in a piece of pantyhose and a toilet-paper cylinder. A small
red ribbon was tied in a bow at the base of his penis.
Source: Hazelwood, Burgess, & Dietz

Handcuffs prevent
self-rescue
Gender: M
Date: July 10, 2000
Location: Bossier City, LA
Cause of death: Asphyxiation/Strangulation
Man in women's clothes found hanging from a
tree, gagged and handcuffed in Louisiana. Was wearing women's
clothing. Police said the death was
"accidental and sexual in nature." Feet may have slipped
while enacting hanging fantasy. Victim was
Christopher Jones (caucasian, not black as erroneously reported by
some).
Source: SF
Gate News (Mike Halphen, Bossier City police)

The next two cases describe pseudo-hogties position where the ankles are
leashed toward the neck. The victims believed the neck
pressure would be minimal and controllable. Even though their hands were free,
they did not survive.

Gender: M
Date: 1968
Cause of death: Asphyxiation
Pseudo-hogtie position where rope was tied to one ankle, leashed up
over one shoulder, round front of neck, back over other shoulder and
tied back to the other ankle. Hands were free but reduced air
intake accidentally led to permanent loss of consciousness.
Victim was naked.
Source: T.
Watanabe. Atlas of Legal Medicine

Gender: F
Age: 22
Cause of death: Asphyxiation (hair got tangled in the rope)
Victim discovered dead by her sister, who had been staying with the
victim temporarily. The sister had been away for two days and
returned on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. She went directly to her
bedroom and did not discover the victim until the following morning.
The deceased was found with her abdomen, thighs and forearms resting
on the floor. Her feet were pulled back toward her head.
Her body was in an arched position with an electrical cord attached
to her neck by a slip knot, passing over a doorknob, and wrapped
around her ankles. Her hair was entangled in the slip knot.
She was clothed in a sleepshirt. Commercial lubrication cream was
found in the victim's vagina, and a battery-operated vibrator was
found 4 feet from her body. The only trauma was a 1 1/2-inch
contusion above and behind her right ear. The cause of death was
determined to be asphyxia due to laryngeal compression.
Source: Hazelwood, Burgess, and Dietz

FEMALE DEATHS

Female AEFs are rarely correctly identified or reported. A review of eight fatal cases and one near-fatal case
was conducted to determine more clearly the characteristics of AEFs by
women.

Six of the fatal cases had objective evidence of sexual
activity, three had used neck padding to prevent chafing, and eight had
failed self-rescue mechanisms.

The majority of women did not use unusual clothing,
props, or devices to augment their activity. (These details distinguish
females from males; male deaths frequently include presence of crossdressing,
sexual props and devices -- these details are not typical in female AEFs.) Five of the women were naked. One was
found with elaborate clothing and extra ligatures.

Two fatal cases were atypical in that the apparatus that
was used for sexual purposes was not intended to cause asphyxia in one case and
did not directly cause asphyxial death in the second case.

Six cases involved characteristic fatal autoerotic
asphyxial activity. The final case was not fatal.

Sometimes, a person intends to be bound for other
reasons, not understanding the possible dangers.

How a gag can suddenly change
everything
Date: October 30, 1998
Gender: F
Age: 46
Location: Brixworth, Northamptonshire
Cause of death: Choked on vomit
Kathleen Yeoman, divorced mother of two, staged a fake
burglary to win back the affection of former lover/neighbor Paul
Cockerhill. She ransacked her house, tipping out
drawers and throwing jewelry on her bed. She piled electrical goods in
the front room, taped her mouth, put a plastic bag over her head and
tied her hands together. Leaving her front door open, she went and lay across
Paul's front doorstep. As she waited for his return from a
pub, she vomited and, unable to remove the tape from her mouth as her
hands were shackled with self-tightening plastic ties, she choked to
death. Police at first treated the death as suspicious, but they
reviewed the case when they found that nothing had been taken and she
still had money in her handbag.Source: Times, Daily Telegraph 7/1/99.

Just because you decide to be a captive
doesn't mean you will be able to retain control
(Not self-bondage, but notable for cause of death)
Gender: F
Age: 22
Location: Valparaiso, Indiana
Date: September 2000
Cause of death: Hypothermia
Burger King night manager Lisa Goetz conspired with day manager Lori
Thomas to steal over $4000 from the restaurant. They staged a fake
robbery. Lisa was bound with duct tape and placed in a walk-in
cooler. Lori started a small fire in a wastebasket and left with a
duffel bag of cash. They envisioned a quick rescue of Lisa by the local
fire department. Instead the fire smoldered without erupting until
the morning shift arrived. Lisa was found in the freezer, chilled
and semi-conscious, and was rushed to a hospital where she later died
from hypothermia. Police later recovered the cash from Lori's
home, at which time she confessed.Source: APB
News and others

STATISTICS

The authors of a published study of 150 cases of
autoerotic asphyxiation estimated that 500 to 1,000 autoerotic deaths occur
annually in the United States.

One Canadian researcher studied 117 males aged 10-56
who had died accidentally
during autoerotic asphyxial activities.

I'm writing to thank you for the information you compiled about self-bondage. A few years back I used to fit the description in one of the stories on your self-bondage page: "Scenarios and activities become more elaborate over time - more experience leads to greater danger of death, not less danger".

There's a good chance I might not be alive today if I hadn't come across your page. I found it while searching the web for ideas to make my solo scenes more elaborate.

I have to admit that sometimes the craving for bondage gets very strong and I still indulge in a little self-bondage now and then. But I don't do it as frequently, and my scenes are much simpler now, because of the dangers your page taught me about.

So thank you again. You may have saved my life.

~(anonymous)
4/25/03

The information on this website was compiled
from various internet and print sources.